BPA Welcomes New Maritime Minister

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Following the Department for Transport’s confirmation today that Nusrat Ghani MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport will be the Minister responsible for ports, the Chief Executive of the British Ports Association, Richard Ballantyne, said:

“We very much welcome Nusrat Ghani to her new role as Ports Minister and hope that she will pick up where John Hayes left off as an energetic champion of the UK’s world-leading maritime sector as well as for UK ports and the vital role they play our economy.

“As ports handle 95% of the UK’s trade, the new Minister has her work cut-out ensuring post-Brexit customs and port health regimes does not disrupt the flow of goods at ports, particularly at “roll-on roll-off” ferry terminals.

“Ports are keen that environmental and planning regulations and port connectivity are addressed, and we will be pressing the Minister at the earliest opportunity to make sure that these and the other priorities we have set out this month are top of her agenda, not just in her Department, but across Whitehall.

“We are grateful to John Hayes for his enthusiasm and hard work as Ports Minister and would like to thank him for that. His passion for the sector always came across loud and clear and we wish him well.”

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Nusrat Ghani was appointed as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport and Assistant Government Whip on 9 January 2018.